CULTURE JAMMING — AUGUST 26

In Uncategorized on 08/26/2009 at 1:30 am

TOP PICK

Radiohead reissues

(Capitol/EMI)

Radiohead’s first three CDs were reissued earlier this year. Here are the next three – all pimped out with an extra disc of live cuts, B-sides and remixes. (The limited-edition sets even tag on a DVD of videos.) Kid A and Amnesiac remain the band’s most challenging and complex work; Hail to the Thief is a knotty exercise in guitar-electro solidarity.

VIDEOGAME

Madden NFL 10

(EA Sports)

Just in time for football season, the perennial favorite returns with its most realistic outing yet. But our favorite version is the least complicated one. Play this game on the Wii, and you’ll point-and-click for passes, move your defensive line with a swish of the remote and make an interception with a shake. You’ll feel just like cover stars Larry Fitzgerald and Troy Polamalu.

BOOK

The Original Frankenstein

(Vintage)

We love all the movies, from Karloff on, but nothing beats Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel for sheer chills. This new edition includes the original book plus an 1831 version that features more than 5,000 words added by husband Percy. The story remains one of the all-time greats – a cautionary tale about a man who wants to be a god. Still scary after all these years.

CD

Richard Thompson: Walking on a Wire: 1968-2009

(Shout! Factory)

Thompson has spent the past 40 years as one of the world’s best guitarists and popular-music historians. He started out as a member of British folkies Fairport Convention, hitting his peak with a series of records he made with ex-wife Linda. This four-disc retrospective includes more than 70 songs from his entire career, including some great recent live ones.

DVD

TotalDramaIsland

(Cartoon Network)

All 27 episodes of the first season of this odd but intriguing series – an animated reality show – get boxed on this four-disc set. It’s pretty much a cartoon version of Survivor, as 22 teens (a jock, a geek, a stoner, etc.) tough it out at a secluded camp. There are plenty of nods to The Real World, Fear Factor and even Iron Chef thrown in for grown-ups. –Michael Gallucci